Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

With an A grade, Huomu successfully made it into the top ten of both classes.

Both of them were well aware that they could never have achieved such a high score on their own.

The person I need to thank the most is undoubtedly Saki.

Qi Ji simply waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Why thank me? You earned this yourselves; it's your own ability. But—"

As Qi Ji spoke, he suddenly changed the subject, revealing his true intentions.

"If you really want to thank me... then please treat me to dinner."

"Huh?" She was stunned for a moment, then a blush of embarrassment appeared on her face.

Given her current financial situation, it would be difficult for her to take Saki to a decent restaurant, but if she just goes to the cafeteria...

That's too shabby and too impolite!

"Next time...can I ask you to come again next time?" she said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

Huomu, however, did not have so many concerns.

In his view, if someone is willing to have a meal with him and let him treat them, it means that the other person considers him a friend.

Since we're friends, there's no need to be too particular about treating each other!

Although he has never made any friends.

But he put himself in their shoes and felt that way.

and so--

"How about ramen?" Huomu suggested.

Upon hearing this, he looked at Huomu with an incredulous expression.

I thought to myself, what nonsense is this guy talking about!

Who would treat someone to ramen when they're having a meal?!

As the former eldest daughter of the Wuma family, Setsuna's mind simply did not allow her to have such undignified thoughts.

However, the next moment, she heard Qi Ji readily agree:

"Ramen? Sounds good!"

Saki even put his arm around Koki's shoulder, as if afraid the other would change his mind, and pulled him toward the cafeteria: "Come on, come on! I'm starving!"

Huo Mu was flattered by Qi Ji's intimate treatment!

He originally thought that Qi Ji was a very aloof genius who was distant from people and treated everyone with the same indifference.

After all, at noon on the rooftop, the other person gave him a very impatient and unapproachable feeling.

but……

It seems he misunderstood?

At the time, the other person was simply in a bad mood because their afternoon nap was disturbed.

Huo Mu suddenly felt a little happy, as if he understood Qi Ji better!

"..."

Watching Sakiji embrace Himuki and happily walk away.

I was stunned for a moment, thinking, "This works?"

Should I follow suit and treat Saki to ramen?

It can save a lot of money...

……

Saki was in a good mood.

Getting a shot of Huomu on camera and getting a free dinner was a win-win situation!

When the two arrived at the cafeteria, Huo Mu eagerly went to queue at the window, but Qi Ji grabbed him.

"Wait a minute." Saki glanced at the time. "Let's wait another ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Huo Mu asked, puzzled.

"After 7 p.m., many unsold dishes in the cafeteria will be discounted."

Saki lowered his voice and shared his valuable life experience.

"That includes ramen, which can be about a third cheaper!"

Witnessing this, the comments section burst into laughter:

"Here it is! Your brother Ji's money-saving tips!"

"Huomu: I've learned something!"

As the comments on the screen showed, Moki Makoto had an excited look on his face, as if he had "learned something".

"Is there really such a good thing?" He immediately rubbed his hands together, looking expectant, and sat down with Qi Ji in an empty seat in the corner of the cafeteria, starting to count down the time eagerly.

If it were a fleeting moment, she definitely wouldn't have the nerve to treat someone to discounted food.

But Huo Mu had no such thoughts at all. Instead, he admired Qi Ji even more, feeling that Qi Ji knew a lot!

Being with him makes me feel like I'm improving every moment!

At seven o'clock sharp, the two rushed to the discount window and successfully bought a large bowl of ramen after the discount.

While eating noodles, the lower half of Saki's mask automatically disappeared, revealing his thin lips and handsome jawline.

Huo Mu was stunned, both amazed by the magic of the Qi Ji mask and shocked by the handsomeness hidden beneath it.

Even if you only catch a glimpse of half a face, you can clearly feel that extraordinary handsomeness!

The comments section also erupted in a frenzy at that moment:

"Wow! So handsome?!"

"What do you think? In all the anime I've watched, not a single masked character is ugly!"

"Hilarious! If I had a face like that in real life, I'd love to show it off to everyone every day. Wear a mask? Are you kidding me!"

“Saki-san…your face…” Hōki couldn’t help but ask.

"What's wrong?" Qi Ji asked, slurping his noodles.

"N-nothing..." Huo Mu scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I just... I thought you always wore a mask because you had an injury on your face, or... it was inconvenient for you to see people."

After all, unlike the Thousand Faces family, wearing masks is a family tradition.

A genius who isn't from a family of chameleons and always wears a mask is bound to arouse speculation—

Is it because of any damage to one's appearance or something unsightly?

……

……

Chapter Nineteen: I'm Too Handsome

"how is this possible?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji could no longer contain himself!

Judging from Huomu's words, he seemed to think that Huomu wore a mask because he was too ugly to be seen by others.

This is slander! Pure slander!

Qi Ji put down his chopsticks, not even bothering to eat his noodles.

Haven't you heard the rumors about me?

"I hear it all the time, like when he was ten, he beat his teacher so badly he cried, and when he was eleven..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Not those, I'm talking about the rumors about my face."

"Rumors about the face? I haven't heard much about that."

"Never heard of it? Impossible! Think about it carefully, like the rumor that 'beneath this handsome mask of mine is an even more handsome face'—haven't you heard of such rumors?"

Huo Mu tried hard to recall, then honestly shook his head.

"Ok."

Qi Ji was somewhat disappointed, thinking to himself that his publicity work was still not good enough.

That's right, these kinds of rumors were spread entirely by Saki himself.

The purpose was to create a sense of anticipation and to establish a persona of a "masked handsome man".

Unfortunately, the results seem to be mediocre.

However, it's also possible that Huomu doesn't have many friends, so he's not very well-informed.

In short, Saki told the other party:

"The reason I wear a mask is simply because—"

I'm too handsome.

He would be stopped and confessed to by girls he didn't know on the street, and he was always disturbed by the opposite sex while cultivating.

Even more so, there are occasional stalkers who appear out of nowhere.

It's troublesome, isn't it?

I don't want to get distracted by these trivial things, so this is the only way.

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Mu suddenly understood, and his admiration for Qi Ji deepened even further.

"I completely understand! Saki-kun, you're amazing!"

Others wear masks to hide their ugliness, but Saki wears a mask to hide his handsomeness.

As expected of Saki!

Even their worries are on a completely different level from those of ordinary people!

Hōki looked at Saki, as if he were admiring an idol:

"Despite having such an outstanding appearance, he has not become complacent at all."

Instead, in order to pursue power without distraction, he chose to wear a mask.

"Saki-kun, I feel like I've learned so much from being with you!"

"I'm glad you understand."

Saki tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth and gave a faint reminder.

"Alright, hurry up and eat, the noodles are going to clump together."

At the same time, comments scrolled by:

"Is he really that handsome? Is it true?"

"Take off your mask! I need to check your license!"

"Sigh! Actually, I've always had the same worries as the streamer. Looks like I should buy a mask and wear one too."

……

After devouring their ramen, the two patted their bellies with satisfied expressions.

Huo Mu got up to leave, but Qi Ji told him to wait a moment. He then went to the ramen window and bought another bowl to go.

Seeing this, Huomu assumed that Qiji hadn't eaten enough, so he quickly ran over to pay as well.

However, Saki refused.

"This ramen wasn't for my own consumption, so you shouldn't be paying for it."

Huomu was no match for Qiji.

In addition, his own financial situation was not very good, so he did not persist.